I enjoyed playing in the Surrey Mixed Pairs with my friend Guy Hart last Sunday. It was a friendly event, and Guy, with his frequent witty quips, makes me laugh more than anyone. We played pretty well (not too many mistakes), so I must admit we were disappointed with our below par result.
The thing is, the event was mixed in more ways than one: plenty of good players, but plenty of weak ones too. Poor players give out plenty of ‘gifts’, and if you’re not lucky enough to get any – and we weren’t – it’s hard to do well. Early on, for instance, we sat against a couple who announced that they were playing ‘three Weak Twos’. ‘What’s your strong bid?’ Guy asked. ‘Er… 3NT,’ said North. ’No other?’ Guy wondered. ‘Well, 4NT would be stronger.’ I admit, we metaphorically rubbed our hands together at the prospect of thrashing them.
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